Save Me
by agentromanoff
Summary: Newly recruited S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent and reformed character Taylor Reynolds has a dark past and secrets few know about. When Clint Barton is partnered with this crazy and complex woman he discovers a side to her no one knew existed, including her. Nobody said it was easy. Clint/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Based on the one-shot I posted on here a few weeks ago, decided to make a go of it as an actual story :) Check it out before you read this if you want, its called 'Not A Monster' and you'll find it on my page. The story starts off before the events of the Avengers movie and will eventually lead up to those events. Rated M just to be on the safe side. Hope you all enjoy reading and I'd appreciate any form of feedback :)**

**Thanks X**

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It was a cold calm night, only a slight comforting breeze gracing the air every so often. The time was 2.37am, the streets were quiet and deserted. The city of New York slept while Agent Clint Barton was perched on the rooftop, deadly still for the past hour since he arrived. Barely moving or even blinking, just waiting for his mark to come into view. Clint had been put on this mission by S.H.I.E.L.D. his mark being 4 agents, working for an overseas agency, who had in their possession an extremely dangerous weapon stolen from a US military base two days ago. Clints task was simple, execute the agents, retrieve the weapon and return to S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ.

This is what Clint Barton did best. Perched in the same spot for hours on end only to carry out his mission within seconds. In the blink of an eye he could have 3 arrows drawn and fired to his target which he never missed. It was truly effortless for him. Many would see him as a loner but that was how he preferred it in his line of work. Having someone else there would only distract him and he could not afford to have his attention diverted from his work. In the past he had worked in partnership with his fellow S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and friend Natasha Romanoff and had no trouble in doing so again if need be, but mostly he worked alone. Unfortunately his 'alone' status followed him outside of his work, he had few friends, no family, no hope of a relationship. He managed to push all thoughts of that to the back of his mind but could not deny to himself that it did bother him.

With no time to think about any of that, his vision sharpened as four figures appeared in the spot he had been staring at for the past hour now. After matching their faces to the descriptions he was briefed on he was certain it was them he had been waiting for. They were definitely shady looking and the silver briefcase in the hands of one of them confirmed his suspicion. Just as he reached his arm back to retrieve one of his bows his eye caught movement. From his spot on the building on the street opposite from his target, Clint noticed a fifth form make an appearance from the shadows, as if from nowhere. It was a woman. Carefully watching, he observed the scenario unfold before him, still ready to retrieve his bow when he needed. The fifth individual, still undetected by the other four men quickly took them by surprise and was now behind the man with the breifcase, the extremely dangerous weapons technology, in his hand. With a swift movement her hands grasped the sides of his head and in a fifth of a second she had snapped his neck to the side killing him instantly, had the briefcase in her hands and had a gun pointed to the remaining three individuals.

"_Shit_." Clint hissed and quickly rose from his spot and made his way down from the roof of the building to intervene in the situation personally. While he ran down the stairs quicker than the average human, he contacted S.H.I.E.L.D. "Coulson, we have a situation." he spoke into his earpiece, "We are not the only ones after this, send someone to get me NOW." he urgently spoke.

"On our way." came the response.

By this point Clint was already out of the building, on the street quickly approaching his mark and the unidentified woman. Fast on his feet he was soon at the scene. Laid out before him, the four agents lying dead on the ground and the woman standing with her back to him. Dressed in all black tight clothing hugging her slim frame. She had killed them all in what couldnt have been longer than 3 minutes without firing any shots from the gun she had in her hands. Clint had to act fast, obviously this woman was dangerous and to his knowledge no friend of S.H.I.E.L.D. She could be anyone, working for anyone. Without wasting anymore time, he quickly fired a bow at the woman while he had the advantage, his presence stil unknown to her. Suddenly everything changed.

Unphased by the sudden threat Clint posed against this woman, her body shifted and her arm shot out to catch Clint's bow in her hand. It all happened so fast in a split second, Clint was stunned as he watched what her next move would be. Slowly, her head turned to face him, her long dark hair falling around her face. She had a deadly stare in her eyes but a small smile crept onto her face as she seen Clint standing before her, another bow already in hand and drawn ready to fire. She had now fully turned to face him as he stared at her, ready for any form of threat so he could release another arrow.

"I take it this belongs to you?" she asked amused holding the arrow out to him.

"I take it you're the reason these men are dead." he challenged, his stance never once shifting.

"Oh I'm sorry, did I do your job for you?" she asked with a chuckle, then her laughing ceased. "Do I have to kill you as well?" Clint knew this wasnt a question and instantly released another arrow. However, again she had caught it in her hand. Seeing his hand release on his bow she dropped the first arrow and caught the other in her hand again, no effort needed. Unable to think of something else, Clint released yet another arrow, which she caught again with extreme reflexes.

"How the hell are you doing that?" he yelled frustrated and she laughed in response.

Her other hand moved so quickly he only just managed to realise what she was doing, the gun she had was now in her hand and Clint found himself staring down its barrel. His instincts now went into over drive. He swiftly kicked the gun from her hand and grabbed her arm twisting it behind her back. Her free arm elbowed him strongly in the stomach and he instantly released her as the pain shook through him, she was definitely strong. She approached him, fist raised ready to strike him again which he blocked, then another and another as she attempted to punch his jaw. Failing this her hands reached for his throat but she was soon on the ground as Clint kicked her harshly in the stomach, sending her onto the pavement on her back. She let out a small groan in pain before both her legs raised up and she quickly flew to her feet. The look on her face showed she was no longer amused at the situation and more frustrated.

"I am taking that case." she yelled out throwing more punches, a few of them hitting Clint but he reamined as composed as he could.

"Then I'm sorry to be the one who disapppoints you sweetheart." he somewhat smirked attempting to block her hits and get a few of his own thrown in there. She let out a frustrated scream at his statement and kicked him solid in the knee sending him to the ground, yelling out in pain. He returned the gesture by punching the side of her knee also sending her down to his level and she quickly reacted in flying toward him, straddling him to the ground.

"This has been fun handsome but I have to get going." she said now more calm, now she had the upper hand. She reached for her gun lying next to them on the ground and at this moment Clint took his chance. With all the strength he had left he turned over so he was now on top of her and secured her to the ground.

"Sorry sweetheart," he replied sarcastically reaching for the small instrument he needed, located in a small compartment in the back of his belt. "You're going nowhere." he finished before taking the small needle, filled with a strong tranquilliser, and piercing her neck.

"What the fu-" she trailed off as a small groan left her mouth before her eyes rolled shut and she went limp beneath him. Clint let out an exasperated sigh before getting back on his feet, ignoring the pain from the new bruises he had likely recieved from his fight from this woman. She was definitely stronger than most and put up a good fight. He studied her form on the ground now more intrigued, he had to know who she was.

His attention was drawn from her as three familiar S.H.I.E.L.D. agents appeared on the scene and Clint took the breifcase, which had been carefully placed to the side prior to their fight , in his hands and retrieved his bow and arrows. Two of the agents began to study the deceased men on the ground and were most likely planning on removing the bodies as quickly as possible. The remaining agent, Phil Coulson, approached Clint.

"Coulson, you guys certainly took your time." Clint greeted in annoyance while handing over the briefcase to the more senior Agent.

"I see there is a bit of a mess here Agent Barton." he replied ignoring his previous comment.

"Four enemy agents deceased and an unidentified woman unconcious, she was also after the case." he explained "Thought you boys might like to take her in for questionning." he said as he watched Phil Coulson look over the woman carefully, the look on his face suggesting he recognised her or knew of her in some way. He smiled.

"Yes. Director Fury will definitely have a few questions for this one."


	2. Chapter 2

**Already had this written up and couldn't wait to post it so here is chapter two! Gives a little background my OC without giving too much away ;)**  
**Hope you enjoy this chapter and as always any form of feeedback is appreciated :) I'll try and not be too long with the next chapter...**

**Thanks X**

* * *

Taylor Reynolds finally woke in an unfamiliar place, laid down on an uncomfortable and presumably basic bed. Her eyes fluttered a few times before her vision became less blurry and more focused. She instantly closed them tightly as the light added to her already pounding headache. Slowly and carefully, she sat up and moved to be perched on the side of the bed she woke up on and rested her head in her hands for a few moments before finding the strength to stand up. Still dazed and confused she took longer than usual to become familiar with her surroundings. Surrounding her were four white walls, the one facing her held a large metal, locked, door. The only contents in the room being the bed she was laid on, a bottle of water placed on the floor and herself. No windows, no furniture, basically nothing which could be used as a weapon and no chance of escape. Knowing it was a longshot she attempted to open the only way out of the room. Firstly trying to move the handle, then a little more harshly, then proceeded to pound the door with her fist then kick it in frustration.

"God fucking dammit," she muttered to herself before collapsing back onto the bed, not trusting the innocent looking bottle of water enough to have a drink no matter how badly she wanted it. She had no idea where she was and could not trust anyone or anything. Instead she chose to sit and patiently wait, shifting uncomfortably at the bruises covering her body from her most recent fight. She could only remember fighting some guy before he tranquilised her, she rubbed the sore spot in her neck where he had pierced the skin. Now she was only more confused and had a number of questions she needed answering; Where was she? Why was she brought here? Who is she dealing with exactly?

A noise echoed through the room as the door shifted open, her body tensed, unsure of who or what to expect. Instantly, Taylor sat upright ready for attack if needed, despite the pain she was in. Watching the door carefully, it was now fully opened to reveal a tall bald man, dressed in all black and an eye patch covering one of his eyes. Taylor smiled as she instantly recognised the man standing before her, his lips set in a grim line. He stepped inside the room, closing the door behind him, clearly not affected by the obvious threat she could pose.

"I see you're finally awake, Miss Reynolds." he greeted. Usually when someone knew her real identity, Taylor would be alarmed and often attack, but this came as no surrpise. The man standing before her was Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. He knew everything. She let out a small laugh,

"I see you've finally got me Fury." she looked at him and her expression turned serious, "I've never been captured before, I'm impressed." she informed him but her tone suggested she was anything but impressed. "One of you're flying monkeys did a good job." she smirked which he returned,

"Agent Barton is one of the best we have." he simply stated before continuing, at least she had the name of the man who had defeated her. "That is not what I'm here to discuss with you, however." he nodded and walked further towards her. "You have been somewhat of a problem for us and many other people over the past few years, in short you've pissed off a lot of people." he stopped and looked at her almost amused.

"Well I'm not sorry for that, I'm just good at what I do." she simply stated

"Nor do you care who you work for or what side they are on." he challenged

"No, I don't." came her blunt response.

A few short moments passed between them as an empty silence filled the room, it was neither comfortable or uncomfortable. Taylor sensed no hostility from Fury which puzzled her, she had no clue as to what his intentions were. Finally he spoke,

"I want you on my side, Reynolds." he simply said, she could not contain the loud sarcastic laugh which escaped her mouth in response.

"And what makes you think I'm going to agree to work for you?" she asked intrigued, her laughter ceased.

"What makes me think you'll agree to join S.H.I.E.L.D. is that I have the advantage in all of this," he began, "In my possesion is a file on you, a file which contains every operation you've been involved in for the past few years. Including those in which you have assisted in against the American Government and various other organisations in this country. To summarise, it doesnt shine a very positive light on you." he smiled, pleased at the reaction he got from the woman, a look of silent defeat on her face. "If such a file were to find its way into the authorities hands, you will be handled with in a most severe manner." the smile had now disappeared from his face. Taylor looked at the man infront of her with a grim expression, she had no idea S.H.I.E.L.D. had been following her all these years, she was aware of the fact Fury had been determined to get her to join for quite some time now but was certain she had covered all of her tracks. Obviously not. She felt vulnerable, there was no escape from any of this.

"So what's the proposal exactly?" she asked finding her voice yet it was quiet, "I join your side and you wont hand me over?" she asked watching his face for any deception.

"Exactly." he replied, no deception or dishonesty in his one eye.

Taylor sighed deeply, contemplating his offer in her head. Usually she cared little for who she worked for and cared less for what cause she was fighting for. She was a master assassin, a spy, more than just an average human, good at what she did. Whoever she worked for, it was always on her terms. She knew that if she joined S.H.I.E.L.D. those days would be over.

"And I assume you are more than aware of my," she paused chosing her words carefully "Abilities." she finished.

"More than you would think." he responded, not dwelling on the issue too much. She was glad, the things which made her less human were not something she liked to discuss in depth. The thing that made her so unique, not many knew of it at all. The less who knew the better. "Aren't you tired of running your whole life Taylor?" this was the first Fury addressed her by a first name, "Don't you ever consider the fact you can use your talents for a greater cause? The right cause." he said firmly, her eyes told him that she did infact have some good in her. She wanted to be good.

She had no choice in the matter either way. If she refused to join S.H.I.E.L.D. she knew Fury would not hesitate in handing her over to the authorities and leaving out no descriptions on EVERYTHING about her. She would either be exterminated, being too much of a potential threat. Or worse, spend her life being experimented on in a laboratory, the secret of her abilities too great a desire. It had been in the past...

She had no choice.

"Okay," she sighed closing her eyes, "I'm in."


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry about the wait everyone! Here's chapter 3! Yes it's pretty boring but necessary as I see it. I promise things will be getting more exciting in the chapters to follow! All feedback appreciated as usual :) Chapter 4 will be posted soon!**

**Thanks X**

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"Yeah?" Clint greeted down the phone, interrupting him in his room at S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ from doing, well, nothing.

"Director Fury would like to see you in his office." came the monotone reply from another agent.

"On my way." came Clints even more bland response.

Three weeks had now passed since Clints interaction with the mystery female who had put up a good fight and given him numerous bruises to prove so. He had not been informed of what happened to her after she had been brought to S.H.I.E.L.D. not that he would be told. She was none of his concern, his mission was complete and any information on her would not be shared with him. Usually this didn't bother him in the slightest but something about her intrigued him, he wanted to know who she was. Not that he could ask, it was not his concern, he'd likely get his ass chewed for doing so. For the time being he distracted himself with whatever work he had to do, he had not yet been given another mission and was mainly involved in work that didnt require much hands on effort. Being summoned to Fury's office filled him with the hope he was going to be given a new mission. There was not much for him to do other than little work or train which he found himself doing for the majority of every day. Even training had not been of much interest to him, usually would train with Natasha but she was currently working undercover at Stark Industries, so for now Clint was on his own. Bored and alone.

Casually yet quickly, Clint made his way to Fury's office. Travelling through the maze of corridors which he was now familiar with like the back of his own hand. Outside his door, he knocked the door and awaited an invitation into Fury's office. Almost immediately the door opened smoothly to reveal Fury standing there, his usual appearance, mysterious and intimidating. Clint looked at him expectantly, his face giving nothing away.

"Agent Barton, come in." he simply greeted after a few short seconds.

"Sir." Clint nodded curtly in a professional manner, following him into his large office.

Clints eyes followed Fury walking further into his office and around the back of his large desk. A large black seat for him on one side and two slightly smaller ones facing it on the other side. Clint approached the desk slowly, shoulders back, back straight. Just as he was standing beside the two chairs he noticed the presence of someone else in the office, occupying the seat to the left side. He looked down at her in composed shock as she simply smirked back at him.

"Oh, hey handsome." she greeted casually before turning her head back to look straight ahead. It was her. The girl who had intervened in his previous mission and had been taken in by S.H.I.E.L.D. What was she still doing here, in Fury's office?

"Clint, please sit down." Fury's voice interrupted his thoughts as he quickly followed the order and sat down in the vacant seat, now impatiently waiting to hear what was going on. Clint quickly looked to the woman seated beside him, her face giving away nothing, she looked as intrigued as Clint did waiting for Fury to speak.

"Well, I suppose you're both wondering why you're here." Fury began, his back to them. Slowly he turned to face them both, his eyes falling on Clint. "I'm aware you've already met but allow me to introduce you to Taylor Reynolds, newly recruited member of S.H.I.E.L.D." Clints brows furrowed, now even more confused. "Taylor, Agent Clint Barton." Fury finished the introductions, her face never losing composure, completely unphased by the introduction.

"Sir, I'm sorry recruited?" Clint asked, unable to hide his curiosity even though he knew he should have bit his tongue.

"Yes." Fury simply replied, one brow raised.

"You have recruited the same woman who attacked me three weeks ago, clearly working against us?" Clint asked in disbelief watching the frown appear on Furys face.

"Last time I checked Clint, I didn't have to explain myself to you." he simply replied in a tone that meant Clint was to keep quiet on the matter from now on.

"Sorry sir."

"Moving on," Fury began once again "I've asked you both here because as I have already explained, Taylor is new to S.H.I.E.L.D. and I think it would be best for her to be partnered with one of our more experienced agents, that being you Barton despite your ocassional lack of ability to keep your opinions to yourself." he gave him a stern look while he met his look with surprise and confusion, he wanted Clint to work with her? This made no sense.

"What?" Taylor eventually spoke up, "When you recruited me Fury you said nothing about working with anyone else." she said almost disgusted.

"I have to agree Sir, this just isnt going to happen." Clint shook his head, ignoring the frustrated look on Furys face. "You want me to work with this woman, can we even trust her?" he asked now ignoring the angry look on Furys face and now her own as she looked at him with narrowed eyes. "And I already have a partner, Natasha?" he defended, Fury sighed.

"Natasha has her mission. You are both more than capable of working without one another now."

"Then why do I need another partner?" Clint interrupted him

"I have already told you because I would like to introduce Taylor to S.H.I.E.L.D. by leaving her in your capable hands until such time I believe she is ready to work alone." his voice was now more stern and frustrated than before.

"I do not need to be left in anyones capable hands." she seethed at Furys comment

"Yeah, shes obviously more than capable of handling herself as demonstrated." clint muttered annoyed

"Oh, was that the first time you got beat up by a girl? Did I hurt you?" she mocked in amusement. Just as he was about to retaliate Fury's loud voice stopped the childish argument.

"Enough!" he bellowed "You two don't say no to me, you will do as I say." he said, and that was that. "In prepartion for your mission next week I would like you two to be training together and devise a plan. You will find the files in your rooms, I want no other complaints on the matter." he stated finalising the matter leaving both Agents to sigh in defeat. "Off you go now." he finished with a sarcastic smile and they wasted no time in leaving his office, still not happy at what had just gone down.

"How did you get recruited?" Clint asked immediately after they were both out of Furys office. She stopped and turned to face him, allowing him to look at her properly. She was exactly how he remembered her, long dark wavy hair, pale pretty face and a stern look adorning her. "You get taken in for quesionning yet you manage to get recruited despite working against us, I dont understand."

"Fury has been wanting to recruit me for a long time and I fancied a change." she simply said unphased while he looked at her oddly, "You dont trust me, do you?" she smirked

"Fury obviously trusts you, and I trust him." he shrugged and the smile fell from her face. They proceeded to stand there staring at each other in uncomfortable silence. Clint sighed, how could he be expected to work with someone he knew so little about? Then again, he had to, he had orders to follow.

"Listen, Taylor." he broke the silence "This isnt ideal,"

"Yeah no shit." she muttered interrupting him.

"For either of us." he finished slightly annoyed. "But, we're stuck together for the time being. We might as well try to make it work." he said not even believing his own words.

"Yeah," she chuckled "We'll see." she stated

"Meaning what exactly?" he asked in confusion, noticing the mischevious smirk on her face and her large green eyes lighting up slightly.

"You'll see." she simply said again and Clint made no attempt to question her further, she was being pretty short with him already and it was starting to piss him off.

"Whatever, I'll see you later." he sighed and with that sulked off back to his room to be alone with his thoughts. His mind buzzing with questions as usual and praying that working with this Taylor Reynolds was not going to be as god awful as he imagined it would be. Perhaps she would surprise him, or more likely it was going to be a huge mistake like Clint believed. Either way, he knew it wasn't going to be easy.


	4. Chapter 4

**And here is chapter four! I'm not overly impressed at the way I've wrote some of the information I wanted to get across about my OC but I dont want to dwell on it too much and just want to focus on the next chapter. Basically, I know this chaper isnt the best so I'm sorry if you dont enjoy it as much or if it sucks. Chapter five will follow really soon. Feedback of any kind, as always, is greatly appreciated!**

**Thanks X**

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Taylor looked around her room given to her at S.H.I.E.L.D., her new home for the time being. Her few possesions that she owned were now unpacked and she was happy enough at her surroundings. Currently in the room with her was an older agent who she had been introduced to as Phil Coulson. She liked him.

"How are you settling in?" he asked politely from behind her.

"Okay I guess, I was perfectly fine until Fury informed me of my new partner however." she mumbled in annoyance while Phil had a tight smile on his face.

"I understand your not familiar with working with other people," he began

"Its not that Phil," she quickly interrupted him then sighed, "I've just never needed anyone else, I'm perfectly fine on my own." she said firmly and watched his facial expression shift to a more softer understanding one.

"It's not about weakness and needing someone, sometimes its just beneificial to have someone you can rely on."

"Thats also something I'm not familiar with," she laughed softly while Phil gave her another small somewhat sympathetic smile.

"Well, in my experience Clint is someone you can definitely rely on." he defended

"Barton seems perfectly capable, that doesnt mean I need him." she retaliated now more defensive. Phil remained silent for a few moments, staring at her carefully before eventually responding.

"Clint's a good guy, Taylor. Not just a good agent, a really good guy." he finished with a smile and with those words left her in her room alone with his words to think about.

Taylor sighed before letting herself fall onto her bed as she thought about what had happened this morning in Fury's office. In no way at all was she happy at being partnered with someone else, when she agreed to join S.H.I.E.L.D. there was no mention of her having a partner. Working with others is something she didn't do, the less she was involved with other people the better. She never had to trust anyone before and preferred it that way, her whole life she had been completely self reliant and that was how she liked it. The truth was she was afraid of getting too involved with anyone else through fear of being let down or screwed over, in her experience that was all people were capable of doing to each other. At the same time, she couldnt ignore what Phil had said about this Clint character being a 'good guy'. She felt like she could trust Phil, he seemed the appropriate definition of a good guy. Despite Clint being a good guy or not, Taylor was now stuck with him for the time being. She had pretty much changed her whole life by joining S.H.I.E.L.D. hopefully for the better, she no longer had to be on the run from everyone and could finally do something worthwhile and good. By changing that, maybe she could change her outlook on other people and give this Clint Barton a chance. They didn't have to be friends or even like each other, all they had to do was work cooperatively, but to do that she still had to trust him some amount.

Not allowing herself any more time to argue with herself and change her mind, she quickly rose from her spot on the bed and made her way to find Clint and make a start on planning their first mission together. Fury wanted them to plan the mission and train together in order for them to become familiar with each others strengths and combat styles. Despite being rude to him before, she hoped he would give her a chance like she was about to give him.

* * *

"Okay, lets call it a day there."

To Taylors surprise, Clint seemed more than willing to cooperate with her and happily worked with her for a good couple of hours. They discussed their strengths and what little weaknesses they may have. Clint was an exceptionally skilled marksman while Taylor was a talented gymnast, both however were equally matched in combat. Each of them learned a little bit more about each other. However, there was still a question hanging in Clints mind.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Clint began

"Yeah, shoot." Taylor shrugged

"That night when we first met, how did you catch my arrows?" he asked the very question which had been bugging him ever since, an amused smile covered her face. "I've been thinking about it constantly and, it just seems impossible." he said bewildered while she now held a more serious look now.

"Fury didn't tell you?" she asked crossing her arms as he shook his head, "Then he couldn't have found it important enough to mention." she casually brushed it off while gathering her things, ready to take leave.

"Wait hold on, tell me what? Tell me!" Clint demanded rather childishly causing her to sigh.

"Look, its a long story that I dont like getting into." Taylor replied more seriously now "If you really need to know then I'll tell you but you need to promise you wont ask me how or why, understand?" she asked him and he nodded quickly, desperate to know. Taylor couldn't believe it herself that she was about to tell him this particular thing about herself, the thing that made her so different. It was a sensitive topic for her to discuss but something made her believe that Clint had a right to know. Working together would inevitably cause him to ask questions sooner or later. Whether she liked it or not, they were partners now and she had to tell him. She took a deep breath before continuing, avoiding his now intense gaze.

"Basically, I have this ability which makes me different from everyone else. I'm unsure as to whether anyone else has it or not but to my extent knowledge I am the only one." she spoke slowly and quietly

"And what exactly is it?" Clint asked, now even more intrigued

"I have this thing that, not to make me sound up my own ass or anything but, it makes me better than the average person." she stumbled on her words, growing more nervous. "I can think faster and more efficiently than most, I'm deceptively strong, infact I'm more strong than you, more strong than someone twice your size. My reactions are faster, I heal incredibly quickly and have never been ill, basically I am more enhanced than most people, in every single way." she searched his face for any form of reaction, it only held confusion and disbelief. She couldn't blame him for thinking her ridiculous, it was pretty unbelievable.

"So, how long have you had this thing exactly?" he eventually spoke up, his voice surprisingly composed.

"I said no questions." she lied in attempt to avoid any questions whatsoever

"No, you said not to ask how or why." he retorted and she couldn't help but smile, she knew exactly what she had said.

"Since I was born, so forever." she shrugged as though it didn't bother her. "So, you believe me? I mean, most people would find this ridiculously unbelievable." she asked now more relaxed

"After some of the things I've seen, and you being able to catch my arrows in your hand without effort or even looking in my direction, I think its pretty believable, yeah." he nodded and she smiled in relief at how understanding and calm he was. His lack of questions also pleased her. "This isn't asking how or why, but I assume you know how and why?" he asked which she simply nodded

"Yeah, but I don't like to talk about it, or remember it." she shuddered as the memories quickly flashed across her mind, the darkest most unpleasant time of her life. "Maybe one day I'll tell you." and with that Clint dropped the matter, noticing how uncomfortable she now was.

"At least now I have some idea as to why Fury wanted you so badly." he joked as they prepared to make their seperate ways for the day

"Didn't you just assume it was my allure?" she asked with a raised brow causing him to let out a laugh followed by her own. Today had took an unusual turn and both Clint and Taylor left the training room more optimistic about working together. Simply spending some time together and learning more about each other had indeed helped and the mission ahead of them seemed a lot more enjoyable.

* * *

**1 week later**

"Will you please say something, this silence is incredibly uncomfortable."

Taylor and Clint were currently in the quinjet on their way back to S.H.I.E.L.D. after their first mission together. It was a simple enough mission, an enemy organisation had retrieved files of great use to them which Clint and Taylor had the job of infilitrating the organisation and removing said file from their ownership. A simple get in, get out. Taylor had the responsibility of wiping the files from their computer server while Clint acted as their eyes and took out anyone who spotted them or got in their way. However, Taylor took it upon herself to infilitrate further files on their server in order to get more information for S.H.I.E.L.D. despite protests from Clint who was desperate to get out. Taylors curiosity had caused them to be detected on the server which made their escape more messy than need be. An issue, to Clint, which could have been easily avoided if Taylor had simply done her job and left. Anyone could see he was more than pissed.

"What would you like me to say exactly?" he asked through gritted teeth while concentrating on the sky ahead of him, "Because if I say what I really want to say, you wont like it." refusing to look at her the whole time.

"How long are you going to be like this? What would _you_ like _me_ to say? I'm sorry?" she asked her voice raised in frustration

"Yes, a sorry would be a start!" he shot back in disbelief, he could not believe how stubborn she was being.

"Sorry for what exactly? For trying to do a better job and deliver useful information to Fury? Yeah, I'm sorry for being smart back there." she retorted

"You call that smart?! Gaining useful information was not the mission, the mission was to do what we had to do and get out but NO you wanted to play around on their system, get us detected and have a group of guards on our ass. We left some mess back there, an unnecessary mess!" he yelled all the while trying to remain calm as he was piloting.

"We got out didn't we? You need to calm down." she sighed

"And you need to be more careful, next time you pull that kind of shit we might not be so lucky." the aggrivation was still clearly present in his voice. "Next time you follow orders." he finished sternly.

Sighing again, Taylor slumped into her seat in a huff. In her opinion, Clint was overreacting at the whole thing. However, Clint was not looking forward to returning to HQ as he knew Taylors behaviour would get them in a lot of trouble with Fury. Clint was only familiar with missions going smoothly, Taylors unpredicted behaviour and stubborn nature did not aid in a smooth mission at all. Taylor glanced over at Clints face, he was still focused on looking ahead and had a stern look covering his face. She still didn't understand what she had done wrong, she never had to work with anyone before and was used to doing what she wanted and that was that. On the other hand she did not want him being annoyed with her and decided she should apologise because it was the right thing to do.

"Listen, I'm sorry okay." she began and he turned to look at her for the first time since they left, surprised at the sincerity behind her words. "No really I am, I'll try to be more careful next time." she said with a small cute smile to seal the deal.

"Well, thank you. I appreciate that." he simply responded, accepting her apology.

"You're leaving for New Mexico when we get back anyway, wont have to worry about me messing that up." Taylor joked using light humour to ease the tense atmosphere between them. "Just dont miss me too much." She watched him half smile at her comment and shake his head lightly and she smiled triumphantly. She won him back on her side. But would it be so easy next time?


End file.
